Why did you choose graduate school at IU Indianapolis?
I was drawn to IU Indianapolis and IU School of Nursing because of their emphasis on and support for community based service and research in Indianapolis. This lens aligns with my research focus of disease prevention and health promotion within the community.
What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?
I am very proud to have received an F31 grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund my dissertation study. The grant writing process was challenging, but I learned so much from it. I could not have done it without the patient and kind support of my mentors, family, and friends.
What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?
I have loved connecting with the community in Indianapolis. Every day, I learn about an event or community organization aiming to improve our community. It inspires me to seek out ways to connect with others and collaborate to have a positive impact where we live.
Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.
My research is focused on type 2 diabetes prevention among young adults with a family history of type 2 diabetes. I learned early on in my studies that early-onset type 2 diabetes (diagnosed before age 40) is becoming more common and tends to result in more complications and comorbidities than older-onset type 2 diabetes. I hope to explore ways to promote health and improve access to diabetes prevention resources among young adults to help them delay and even prevent type 2 diabetes. I have had the incredible opportunity to work with many faculty members on research studies related to type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, cardiac event recovery, menopause, sickle cell disease, and nurse training. I have learned so much from working on all of these studies. For the past two years, I have also been the IU School of Nursing Legislative Fellow, learning how nurses can become advocates for health policy by working with a state representative in the Indiana General Assembly. Since participating in the fellowship, I have presented to undergraduate and graduate students in Nursing, Medicine, and Social Work about the importance of advocacy and tools for getting started.